The coolest street art in Redwood City, California, is a subtle shout-out to anybody trying not to grow up.

The Northern California city commissioned local artist Damon Belanger last year to paint playful "shadows" on the sidewalk near inanimate objects like mailboxes, benches, and bike racks, and the result is a smattering of robots, monkeys, and hungry monsters who appear to come from the same world as Peter Pan's own mischievous shadow. The project consists of light gray paintings that start at the bases of various objects in 23 locations around Redwood City and look like real shadows, then expand and distort into funny creatures: There's the street-light pole whose shadow is actually a fire-breathing dragon, the bench that transforms before your eyes into a massive dog, and a series of bike racks with shadows in the shape of several very happy flowers.

"The overall theme is transformation and surprise," Damon said in a statement to Teen Vogue. "We don’t pay much attention to shadows until something interesting happens, like you notice a shadow cast by a tree that looks like an animal or something unusual. It’s kind of like looking for shapes in clouds. That’s the way I approached these pieces: Given what is there casting the shadow, what else could that thing be or project, given its size and shape? What if it transformed and came alive?"

He also told local KQED PBS station in 2016 about how his own childhood influenced the project: "I grew up watching a lot of Warner Bros. cartoons, as well as reading and watching Japanese anime and manga," he said. "Robotech was a popular series when I was a kid, a Japanese anime translated for American audiences. I also enjoyed Transformers, which was based on a Japanese toy line. The last two had a heavy emphasis on robots. Cartoons have been my core competency since I was a kid." He added, "I think this mix of influences comes through in the playfulness of the shadows and of course the recurring robot theme. Redwood City wanted something whimsical and fun, something that appeals to everybody."

According to Digg, Damon officially completed his street art project last spring, but, as evidenced by a recent Instagram post, he still occasionally does touch-ups on the imaginative sidewalk paintings. Additionally, another of his posts reveals that earlier this year the project was given a (much-deserved) merit award by the HOW International Design Awards.

But one of the most rewarding aspects of the project for Damon? "It’s been a great experience meeting people as I painted these shadows . . . it’s started a lot of great conversations!" he said in a statement to Teen Vogue.